By late March 1993 Operation Restore Hope in the Eastern African country of Somalia was already into its fourth month. The United Nations sanctioned, American led intervention was aimed at opening and securing routes throughout Somalia in order to safeguard food shipments to starving Somalis. As with any newsworthy event, the American people had been inundated with the sights and sounds of thousands of Somalis starving and American military personnel in a land few Americans even knew existed prior to the operation. This was my first experience with Militant Islamic Extremists, it would not be my last, the experience I gained fighting these individuals would serve me well in many years to come.

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